The beer looks ok, kind of on the light side. A decent amount of head caused by a goodly amount of carbonation. Smell doesn't give me much, and is more biscuity than expected. But it's clean, and it gives a good preview of the taste. The taste too is biscuit, with the hops fading into the background as they are overpowered by the rye. It's a good taste, but I could use more flavor. Mouthfeel is nice, a little sharp and with some bite, but in many ways similar to drinking a Budweiser with more hops. Drinkability is good for an IPA: I'd be glad to have a few more. (568 characters)

Poured into a Duvel tulip. At least 2 fingers of foamy, white head over amber/orange opaque beer. Left plenty of lacing.

Nice aroma of rye and hops. The rye flavor is more forward than other rye beers I've had. Of course, that is at the expense of the hops. But if rye is what you're after, this is a good choice.

The mouth feel is a little flatter than I like. It could be a little crisper and more bubbly, but it's still a pretty drinkable and enjoyable ale. It went really well with a black bean and cheese burrito with habanero sauce. (540 characters)

S - Nose is on the lighter side of things, but has a nice floral scent...maybe a hint of orange

T&M - Nice crispness right off the bat. Not a ton in the way of hop bitterness, but what is there is slightly spicy and a bit grassy. Malt has a toasted bread or crustiness to it. Finish sees the spicy hops revisit with a bit of alcohol that finishes slightly dry.

D - Not what I'm used to from the world of "American IPA's), but it's very clean, crisp and easy to drink. On the milder side of an IPA. (617 characters)

I grew up drinking Saranac, so its gonna be interesting how i rate them. I loved them all but did not have much to compare to.

A- light yellow, translucent hay color, heavy pour into a pint glass that results in a thick white headS-a musty hop smell to this one. malts, not much to the smellT- much better than the smell, there is a earthy floral hops up front that finish with a nice Rye, pepper spice flavor. With a second taste, It is almost a citrus hop up front, malty finish.M-light bodied and watery, light carbonation.

The look and the taste were a little deceiving to me. I thought this would have very little flavor but, the citrus was complemented nicely by a spice finish, light but there. (706 characters)

Fairly interesting offering for the style, certainly not as hoppy as the big bruisers are, but carefully crafted and worth some quaffing. Paired it with some spicy Sichuan for a nice meal. (492 characters)

Pours a clean deep yellow to orange-ish in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, a pinch of rye and pine to citrus hops. In the taste, rye notes all the way through and mellow pine hops, with a end of citrus. A small hop bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry hop and sweet rye in the aftertaste. Not as much rye as expected, mellow hops, not bad. (364 characters)

A - Pours a bright gold/near amber with a thick white nearly rocky head that gives way to moderate lacing.

S - Bready nose, I didn't pick up anything from the rye malts. Some grassy and citrus hops.

T - Subdued but balanced. I expected more hops bitterness as well as, and in turn, more spice from the rye malts. The rye is present after the smooth sweet pale maltiness, it combats with the hops in the finish but I am left wanting from this sub-style.

M - Medium. Proper carbonation.

D - Refreshing, no doubt, and hopheads like myself may be left wanting more but I could see more gentle palates finding this a nice change of pace from the regular American IPA. (666 characters)

"An IPA with a wry twist, Saranac Rye IPA is an aggressively hopped brew, sure to take your taste buds on an adventure. We've stepped away from the mold of typical IPAs and selected premium rye malt and a unique mix of spicy hops. Look for a crisp, brazen finish. Enjoy!"

Pours from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Emerges clear and golden with a slight leaning toward amber. Topped with a fluffy and foamy stark white head. Generous amount of lacing line the glass and the retention is quite nice on this one.

Aroma isnt very IPA like. Some minty hops hit the nose followed by a generous dose of malt. I guess the rye adds some spiciness to the aroma but overall the beer is nothing special in the aroma.

I didnt like the flavor of this one either. It was immediately sour on the tongue with some green apple flavors. Astringent but fruity. Again, slightly spicy and bitter.

Maybe Saranac should go back to the mold of "typical IPAs" because this one wasnt very good. The worst of the sampler pack, in my opinon. Bitter and pithy and sour. Unbalanced and memorable only in a bad way. (1,090 characters)

This one pours pretty with a bubbled white head atop a golden amber body. Nose is sour rye malt pitted against floral hops.

Some citrus and cleansing bitterness make this one worthwhile. It's not a west coast uber IPA but is a decent option with a rye twist. Mouthfeel is thick but slightly overcarbonated. The Saranac mixed pack seems slightly better than a few years ago. I'm glad they got that "stale water" problem figured out. (433 characters)

Aromas are slightly sweet malt; a bit more gentle than most IPAs, slight rye smell.

The taste is light and refreshing yet still has some very nice depth to it, finishes with the "dryness" of an IPA. It has a fairly strong carbonation tingle with a lingering bitterness on the edges and back of the tongue.

First time ever trying a rye IPA. Let me just say it should be in a class of its own.

Poured a very clean light orange with plenty of bubbles and a very sturdy foamy white head. Retention is probably the best I have every seen.

Smells very mellow, not too over powering, with a minimal use of aroma hops, It smells of bread and a subtle background of citrus.

The taste of this IPA is what really threw me through a loop. It was bitter up front but with an extremely clean finish. Like most IPA's the bitterness sticks with you long after you have been done drinking but this was the complete opposite. Instead of bitterness you got a very clean malty finish. Very unique in an IPA.

Overall a very different form of an IPA, I can say it is definitely an experience. (768 characters)

from the mix six i picked up 2 weeks agopoured from the bottle into a mug appearance thick white head with a light amber colorsmell a nice blend of rye malt and hops taste a bit of toasted maltsmouthfeel a bit of a bitter after tastei was a bit surprised that this beer didn't have a strong taste of hops that i expected . (328 characters)

Pours a lighter golden with a thin white head. Good retention and lots of laceing.Lots of bubbles!Aroma is of earthy hops and citrus. Nice, but on the weak side. Taste is of grapefruit, and grassy hops. Bitter finish. Worth a try but not in the elite class of this style. (271 characters)

Reviewed on 2/17/2010. Bottle. Pours a clear light orange with a thick off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt, light fruits, residual sugars. Flavor of toasted malts, light floral hops, sweet malt. For an IPA, this was hardly at all hoppy or citrusy and I certainly didn't get any rye out of it. Also it was slightly on the sweeter side of things. It was still very drinkable and enjoyable; it just didn't live up to the advertisement. (432 characters)

Taste: Initially there's some good bitterness and citrus, mixed with nice fruit esters and good spiciness from the rye. Lingering mild caramel, fruit esters, dough notes.

Mouthfeel: Lighter to medium-bodied, though more in the latter range, with good and semi-creamy carbonation.

Drinkability: All around above average, and though this doesn't reach levels of transcendence, I like the rye twist on the IPA, and it's nice that they're not trying to set monumental standards for the style, which makes me appreciate it even more. (820 characters)

A - Pours a clear golden-amber with two fingers of think white head. The head has okay retention and leaves behind some lacing.

S - Aroma has a mix of sweet malt, some light hops, and some citrus aromas. There is also a bit of bread smell that comes through.

T - Starts off with a sweet malt combined with a touch of hops and some rye flavor. Eventually the hops build up and are joined by the citrus flavors from the aroma. The finish is full of the sweet malt flavor, and the citrus and bitterness linger for a bit. Maybe a touch weak overall though.

M - Medium to medium-light bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. The carbonation gives it a crispness, but overall it might be a bit too much, since it gives the beer a little bit of a watery feel.

D - Very drinkable. Especially with the carbonation, it stays really crisp and smooth. The mouthfeel could use a little more body and a bit more flavor overall, but it is still very refreshing as is. (960 characters)